Ultrarelativistic electromagnetic counterpart to binary neutron star mergers

Abstract

We propose a possibility of ultrarelativistic electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational waves from binary neutron star mergers at nearly all the viewing angles. Our proposed mechanism relies on the merger-shock propagation accelerating a smaller mass in the outer parts of the neutron star crust to a larger Lorentz factor $\Gamma$ with smaller energy $\sim 10^{47}{\Gamma }^{-1}$ erg. This mechanism is difficult to resolve by current 3D numerical simulations. The outflows emit synchrotron flares for seconds to days by shocking the ambient medium. Ultrarelativistic flares shine at an early time and in high-energy bands, potentially detectable by current X-ray to radio instruments, such as Swift XRT and Pan-STARRS, and even in low ambient density $\sim 10^{-2}$ cm${}^{-3}$ by EVLA. The flares probe the merger position and time, and the merger types as black hole--neutron star outflows would be non-/mildly relativistic.

6 pages, 3 figures, matched to the published version

References in corpus (7)

• The mass ejection from the merger of binary neutron stars
• Neutrino signatures and the neutrino-driven wind in Binary Neutron Star Mergers
• Calibration of the LIGO Gravitational Wave Detectors in the Fifth Science Run
• Calibration and sensitivity of the Virgo detector during its second science run
• Importance of cooling in triggering the collapse of hypermassive neutron stars
• Swift follow-up observations of candidate gravitational-wave transient events
• Three dimensional evolution of differentially rotating magnetized neutron stars

Cited by in corpus (79)

• Short-Duration Gamma-Ray Bursts
• The Physics of Gamma-Ray Bursts and Relativistic Jets
• Binary neutron-star mergers: a review of Einstein's richest laboratory
• Binary Neutron Star Mergers: Mass Ejection, Electromagnetic Counterparts and Nucleosynthesis
• A mildly relativistic wide-angle outflow in the neutron star merger GW170817
• Electromagnetic Signatures of Neutron Star Mergers in the Advanced LIGO Era
• Effects of the microphysical Equation of State in the mergers of magnetized Neutron Stars With Neutrino Cooling
• Early X-ray and optical afterglow of gravitational wave bursts from mergers of binary neutron stars
• Neutron-powered precursors of kilonovae
• High-Order Fully General-Relativistic Hydrodynamics: new Approaches and Tests
• Multi-messenger picture of compact binary mergers
• On r-process nucleosynthesis from matter ejected in binary neutron starmergers
• The electromagnetic counterparts of compact binary mergers
• A General-relativistic Determination of the Threshold Mass to Prompt Collapse in Binary Neutron Star Mergers
• First Multimessenger Observations of a Neutron Star Merger
• Mass ejection from neutron star mergers: different components and expected radio signals
• Relativistic Simulations of Eccentric Binary Neutron Star Mergers: One-arm Spiral Instability and Effects of Neutron Star Spin
• Numerical simulations of the jet dynamics and synchrotron radiation of binary neutron star merger event GW170817/GRB170817A
• Afterglow Imaging and Polarization of Misaligned Structured GRB Jets and Cocoons: Breaking the Degeneracy in GRB 170817A
• The structure of hydrodynamic $\gamma$-ray burst jets
• A novel scheme for rapid parallel parameter estimation of gravitational waves from compact binary coalescences
• Numerical Relativity and Astrophysics
• Bright broad-band afterglows of gravitational wave bursts from mergers of binary neutron stars
• Synchrotron radiation from the fast tail of dynamical ejecta of neutron star mergers
• The gamma-rays that accompanied GW170817 and the observational signature of a magnetic jet breaking out of NS merger ejecta
• GW170817$-$the first observed neutron star merger and its kilonova: implications for the astrophysical site of the r-process
• Off-Axis Emission of Short GRB Jets from Double Neutron Star Mergers and GRB 170817A
• Radio Counterparts of Compact Binary Mergers detectable in Gravitational Waves: A Simulation for an Optimized Survey
• From $\gamma$ to Radio - The Electromagnetic Counterpart of GW 170817
• Evidence for X-ray Emission in Excess to the Jet Afterglow Decay 3.5 yrs After the Binary Neutron Star Merger GW 170817: A New Emission Component
• Implications of the radio and X-ray emission that followed GW170817
• Fermi-LAT Observations of the LIGO event GW150914
• Long-Lasting Black-Hole Jets in Short Gamma-Ray Bursts
• The afterglow of a relativistic shock breakout and low-luminosity GRBs
• Observable Features of GW170817 Kilonova Afterglow
• High efficiency photospheric emission entailed by formation of a collimation shock in gamma-ray bursts
• High-Energy Radiation from Remnants of Neutron Star Binary Mergers
• Dynamical ejecta synchrotron emission as possible contributor to the changing behaviour of GRB170817A
• Opacity of the highly ionized lanthanides and the effect on the early kilonova
• Towards rapid transient identification and characterization of kilonovae
• Detecting gravitational waves from highly eccentric compact binaries
• Energy Sources and Light Curves of Macronovae
• The short GRB 170817A: Modelling the off-axis emission and implications on the ejecta magnetization
• On the use of tracer particles in simulations of binary neutron stars
• Is the macronova in GW170817 powered by the central engine?
• Dust formation in macronovae
• Isotropic Detectable X-ray Counterparts to Gravitational Waves from Neutron Star Binary Mergers
• Cocoon breakout and escape from the ejecta of neutron star mergers
• Upscattered Cocoon Emission in Short Gamma-ray Bursts as High-energy Gamma-ray Counterparts to Gravitational Waves
• Impact of natal kicks on merger rates and spin-orbit misalignments of black hole -- neutron star mergers
• Electromagnetic outflows in a class of scalar-tensor theories: binary neutron star coalescence
• Relativistic envelopes and gamma-rays from neutron star mergers
• The Rate of Short-Duration Gamma-Ray Bursts in the Local Universe
• Electromagnetic signals from the decay of free neutrons in the first hours of neutron star mergers
• Free Neutron Ejection From Shock Breakout in Binary Neutron Star Mergers
• The Spectrum of a Fast Shock Breakout from a Stellar Wind
• Fallback Accretion Model for the Years-to-Decades X-ray Counterpart to GW170817
• Scattered Short Gamma-Ray Bursts as Electromagnetic Counterparts to Gravitational Waves and Implications of GW170817 and GRB 170817A
• Transient Survey Rates for Orphan Afterglows from Compact Merger Jets
• Pre-merger localization of eccentric compact binary coalescences with second-generation gravitational-wave detector networks
• Afterglow light curves of the non-relativistic ejecta mass in a stratified circumstellar medium
• Interpretation of Radio Afterglows in the framework of the Standard Fireball and Energy Injection models
• Description of atypical bursts seen slightly off-axis
• Rapid gravitational wave parameter estimation with a single spin: Systematic uncertainties in parameter estimation with the SpinTaylorF2 approximation
• Rapid-response radio observations of short GRB 181123B with the Australia Telescope Compact Array
• Polarization of the first-hour macronovae
• Optical Synchrotron Precursors of Radio Hypernovae
• Nonthermal afterglow of the binary neutron star merger GW170817: a more natural modeling of electron energy distribution leads to a qualitatively different new solution
• Polarization of kilonova emission from a black hole-neutron star merger
• Spherical shocks in a steep density gradient of expanding media
• LOFAR observations of gravitational wave merger events: O3 results and O4 strategy
• Subsequent Nonthermal Emission due to the Kilonova Ejecta in GW 170817
• GRB Afterglow of the Sub-relativistic Materials with Energy Injection
• Probability distribution function for inclinations of merging compact binaries detected by gravitational wave interferometers
• Reducing orbital eccentricity in initial data of black hole--neutron star binaries in the puncture framework
• Resolving the fastest ejecta from binary Neutron Star mergers: implications for electromagnetic counterparts
• Revealing Short GRB Jet Structure and Dynamics with Gravitational Wave Electromagnetic Counterparts
• Light curves and polarizations of gravitationally lensed kilonovae
• On the use of CHIME to Detect Long-Duration Radio Transients from Neutron Star Mergers